Age and Experience
by Vialana
Summary: Seifer/Hayner :: Something changed this summer vacation. Hayner wasn't entirely sure how it happened.


**Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from KH2 featured in this fic.**

_I am so not the only person who envisioned this pairing; there have to be others who squee over the idea of Seifer/Hayner. The few fics I've found are awesome, but there still needs to be more written about these two. Seifer because … it's _SEIFER_ and Hayner because he's adorable._

_Anyway, this is just a random bit of fluff that I thought would be fun. Hints of Pence/Olette as well._

**Age and Experience**

It was a sad day when Hayner had to trudge through the streets of Twilight Town alone to the _Sandlot_ to have any fun.

It wasn't something immediate that had him avoiding The Usual Spot; it was more of an accumulation of slowly developing situations that made him uncomfortable. Pence and Olette didn't seem to notice anything wrong. They probably wouldn't even notice his absence either. This was because Pence and Olette were part of the problem.

Hayner loved his friends, he really did. This summer vacation though, _something _had changed. The three were still hanging out as they always did but there was something just a little different in their interactions. Hayner couldn't understand it at first. Pence would stare into space and start stammering when Olette would point this out. Olette wasn't much better, blushing and playing with her clothing nervously. Hayner finally got it when he noticed the awkward fleeting touches and wondered exactly how long it had really been going on. Since then he still came around and his two best friends weren't unhappy to see him. They still hung about and planned for various trips and adventures, but Hayner knew that, while not unwelcome, his presence was superfluous.

That day however was when he knew that he couldn't spend _every_ moment of his life with his friends any more.

Heading into the small square, Hayner was disappointed to see almost no one around. There weren't any scheduled battles today, but occasionally there'd be an impromptu unofficial tournament breaking out for fun. The Sandlot that day was deserted. Even Seifer's goons weren't around. Hayner would have missed the only person actually there if he hadn't given the area more than a cursory glance.

It was odd to see Seifer without his usual posse. Rai and Fuu were like permanent attachments — as inseparable from Seifer as that trademark coat of his. It was just as odd to see Seifer so quiet and still. The older teenager was lying on his back in the middle of the raised ring, arms folded comfortably beneath his head, staring at the sky.

Hayner just stared at him for a moment before slowly making his way over.

The moment he stepped onto the ring, Seifer spoke.

"Stop right there if you know what's good for you, pipsqueak."

Hayner just rolled his eyes. "How'd you know it was me?"

Even with his eyes mostly closed and an almost-serene expression on his face, Seifer could still smirk. "Because I'm just that good and you suck."

"Whatever," Hayner snorted, not rising to the bait.

Seifer opened one eye fully to stare quizzically before shrugging and settling back down.

Hayner wasn't quite sure why he did it, but he took a seat and slumped down beside the other boy, leaning back on his hands to see what was so interesting about the sky.

Seifer turned his head and frowned. Hayner didn't react. Seifer continued staring at the intruder until Hayner finally snapped.

"What?"

Seifer just stared and Hayner scowled.

"_What_?"

"You're bothering me."

"Oh." Hayner lost his scowl and turned back to contemplating the sky. "Sorry." He made no move to leave.

A low growl threatened to erupt from Seifer's throat but the older boy settled for glaring. "Why the hell are you here anyway?"

Hayner shrugged.

"What's the matter? Your friends ditch you for someone better."

Hayner stiffened slightly at this, but otherwise didn't react. Seifer grinned at the sudden realisation and sat up.

"Oh, I see. So that's it. Walk in on them making out?"

This time Hayner almost leapt away as he faced Seifer, face red and spluttered, "What? No! I ... it was ..." He lost all his steam then and dropped. "Was I really the last one to know?"

Seifer shrugged. "Apparently. They weren't interested in a threesome?"

Hayner couldn't respond to that as he looked away so Seifer couldn't see his embarrassed reaction. Seifer laughed anyway.

"Doubt you're missing out on much anyway. It's not all it's cracked up to be."

Hayner was still red when he turned back around to face Seifer, but he was smirking in an eerily familiar imitation. "Is that why you're not with Fuu and Rai then?"

Flushing almost unconsciously, Seifer scowled. "Shut up. Rai's parents finally found out about his grades and Fuu's helping him with his homework so they'll let him out. Don't know why he waited this long to do his work anyway, it always takes him ages, even with me and Fuu helping. I'm probably not gonna see either of them for a week."

"'_This long_'?" Hayner repeated in horror. "It's only the _beginning_ of vacation."

Seifer frowned. "Summer homework doesn't take as much effort or time as everyone seems to think," he lectured. "Anyone with even a little sense knows it's best to get it done early while you still recall everything from school."

"You're kind of a geek."

"Well, unlike the rest of you, I don't want to spend the rest of my life agonising over something as pathetic and pointless as homework." Seifer looked almost offended by the way the conversation was headed.

Hayner knew some of the rumours about Seifer at school. He was a lot older than the other kids in his grade. He was more than two years older than Hayner and the others, yet was only a grade above them. Some people whispered that he had to be held back years, but Hayner had known Seifer to be only a grade above them since kindergarten; his parents had just enrolled him late. Hanging out with a guy like Raijin, who was infamous for his thick head, and an anti-social girl as scary as Fujin only spurred rumours of Seifer's own lack of wits. It wasn't until they met him face to face that people realised almost everything said about the blonde was false, but the damage was done and Seifer carried yet another chip on his shoulder because of it.

It wasn't often that Hayner could talk with Seifer without the conversation turning to random insults and eventually developing into a brawl, but today he really wasn't in the mood for a fight and Seifer didn't seem to be either.

"Sorry," Hayner mumbled almost silently.

Seifer stared at him as if he was a fluorescent pink knife blade.

"Okay, that's it. You have been creeping me out for too long. Did seeing your friends kiss gross you out that much? How old _are_ you?"

"Shut up! It's not that." Hayner knew he was sulking, but Seifer did always manage to bring out the worst in him.

"Then what? It's not really the threesome thing is it?"

"…No."

"You hesitated."

"No! I don't like Pence and Olette like that; they're my friends."

Seifer rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I know. Yay for the happy trio. So what's your problem? You've never seen two people kiss before? Never had a girlfriend? Boyfriend? What?"

Hayner shook his head. "You know what, this is stupid. I don't wanna talk about this with you. I didn't even really have a problem and if I did, you'd be the last person I'd ask for advice from." Hayner moved to get up, but Seifer grabbed his arm and tugged him back so he fell hard on the stone ring in an untidy sprawl.

"I get it now," Seifer grinned.

"Get what now?" Hayner tugged at his arm, trying to dislodge Seifer's tight grip to no avail.

"What your problem is. You've never been kissed."

Hayner didn't answer, but he froze in his attempt to escape and he blushed before trying to pull away with even more enthusiasm.

"That's really it," Seifer chuckled. "You know if you want, I can actually help you out with that."

Hayner looked up with a pale face hoping he'd misheard what Seifer had just drawled.

"What?"

"Don't play coy, you know what I said."

Before Hayner realised what had happened, Seifer had pushed him onto his back and was looming over him. Hayner's eyes widened and he tried to get up, but Seifer just pushed him back down and locked both of his arms to the stone. This situation was unnerving enough to make him a little queasy to his stomach and his face was pale beneath a faint blush.

Seifer just smirked as he always did when he got one over on Hayner. "What? It's nothing really special, right? Unless you're one of those romantics who thinks their first kiss should be some magical experience that nothing else could ever live up to."

Seifer's tone was enough to bring back a little of Hayner's usual attitude. "Shut up, jerk. I don't care about my first kiss."

"Then why are you agonising so much?"

Hayner blushed and turned his head away. Seifer chuckled again.

After a few seconds of awkward silence, Hayner turned back to look at Seifer again, who was completely still. He looked uneasy and his cheeks were flushed. The thought of what was probably going to happen made Hayner still in anticipation as well.

Seifer swallowed and Hayner watched his throat move.

"This is so stupid," the older boy muttered.

"You don't … I didn't … if you …" Hayner's whispered ramblings died as Seifer leaned closer. Unconsciously, he bit down on his bottom lip.

"Shut up." It was barely spoken. Seifer's breath was hot, hotter than the air around them. Hayner just stared up, not daring to move at all as the distance between them slowly started to disappear.

Their noses were almost touching when Seifer whispered, "This is supposed to be a two-person game."

"Yeah." Hayner couldn't be sure that he even spoke. The queasiness reached up to his chest and suffocated his heart as he leaned up to meet Seifer's lips as they drifted down.

The foreign touch made Hayner completely freeze up. Seifer had touched him before, mostly in an antagonistic wayin their brawls, but this was different, both in intent and in feel. Seifer's lips felt like they belonged to a completely different person. The touch was tentative and Hayner pressed up, increasing the pressure. Seifer almost drew back, but stopped and shifted to fit his lips closer to Hayner's. It was no longer just a touch but a real kiss.

Hayner yielded to the faint motion of their kiss, instinctively pressing closer and drawing Seifer's lips down to him. A minute tremble ran through Seifer's body, Hayner only noticed because of their contact. Not sure why it inspired him to do so, he pressed more insistently, maneuvering his lips to open Seifer's. Seifer responded at first then once he realised what was happening jumped away so suddenly that Hayner was left reeling from the shock of the loss of contact.

Seifer was sitting back on his heels staring at the stones of the ring with dazed eyes. Hayner licked his lips, savouring the tingle that was slowly starting to recede as his nerves returned to their less heightened state.

Moving to sit up properly, Hayner winced and grabbed his arms. "Ouch." Seifer jolted at the sound and glanced quickly at Hayner before darting his gaze away when Hayner looked back. Frowning, Hayner rubbed at his forearms where Seifer had grabbed them and leaned down on them to pin him to the ground. Hayner wasn't one to bruise easily, but there would be marks from this encounter.

"Kinda harsh," he muttered, not quietly enough.

Seifer snorted in response. "You're such a wimp."

He wouldn't look at Hayner and the boy frowned, wondering just what was happening and what was supposed to happen. What had just transpired seemed so unreal. He would have thought he imagined it all, if he weren't still rubbing at his sore arms.

"I'm not a wimp," he informed Seifer calmly.

"Oh yeah? Wanna bet that on a match?" Seifer caught his gaze this time, smirking, but the expression faded and he turned away quickly, but not quick enough for Hayner to miss the flush to his cheeks.

It was if their shared moment offered him the tiniest insight into Seifer and he smiled instead of getting angry. Seifer was just as embarrassed as he was by the entire situation. It was so far out of his - their - comprehension that he didn't know what to do other than try to regain his equilibrium and bring things back to a regular scenario.

Hayner decided to go along with it. He wasn't entirely sure what the incident meant to him either and his feelings were still jumbled in a coloured mess up in the air. Maybe it wouldn't happen again and they'd forget about it, or maybe they'd just look back and laugh some time later. It wasn't worth speculating about. Nothing had really changed, just developed a little.

"Yeah, let's spar."


End file.
